Too High a Price
by HerRenegadeHeart
Summary: She pushed herself shaking up onto her feet, stumbling as she moved forward. "Magnum!" she called, head swimming worse than before. Black peppered the white around the edges of her vision. But now she remembered. (Part 2 of the Defenseless Series)


_"I tell myself I have to build defenses_  
_'Cause once you are in love, you are defenseless_  
_Everything was easy when it meant less_  
_But once you are in love, you are defenseless."_

Askjell _\- To Be Loved ft. AURORA_

**#2 of the Defenseless Series**

* * *

Everything had gone white, then red, then black.

Now, as the ringing brought her attention back to the surface, it was the opposite. She was drawn out of the black to see the red of flickering light through her eyelids and as she managed the crack open her eyes once more, she was met by white.

Juliet blinked her eyes - they felt gritty and they stung. Everything was hazy, white surrounding her vision. She couldn't hear anything beyond the ringing in her ears.

She rolled onto her side, her head pounding and her body ablaze with pain, and tried to push herself up. Fire flared down her right arm and she gasped, drawing the angry limb into herself and clenching her eyes shut until the pain ebbed back down to a dull roar.

With the use of her other arm, Higgins managed to get herself up onto her knees. The upright position made her head swim and her stomach lurch violently. She immediately threw up.

Higgins' brain tried to process what was going on, what had happened. As she remained there on her knees, attempting to gain control of the roiling nausea threatening a second upheaval, she tried to remember.

She remembered the click of her shoes on the pavement.

A box.

Heat.

Flying.

She remembered...

_Magnum._

Her eyes shot open and she immediately searched the surrounding area for any sign of him.

They had been heading up the front walkway toward the main house. Magnum had been a few steps behind her. Where was he now?

She pushed herself shaking up onto her feet, stumbling as she moved forward. "Magnum!" she called, head swimming worse than before. Black peppered the white around the edges of her vision.

But now she remembered.

There had been a box beside the door which Juliet had immediately thought odd because deliveries always had to be buzzed through the gate and generally came at roughly at the same time every time. It was there too early in the morning, and she hadn't been there to buzz the delivery guy through as she'd been out with Magnum, and if Kumu had actually been there to do it instead of visiting family on the other side of the island, she would have brought the box inside.

"What's up?" Magnum had asked, seemingly sensing her unease.

She glanced back over her shoulder at him and opened her mouth to explain, but before she could, there was heat and pain and white.

Higgins stumbled again, catching herself with her good arm and pushing back up off of the ground. "Magnum!" she tried again and this time she was met with a groan.

She whipped her head toward the sound, half-regretting the move when static filled her vision, but then she saw him. He was lying on his back, partially obscured by some of the bigger philodendron plants that were a part of the landscaping around the front of the house. Higgins darted right for him, making it almost all the way before her legs gave out. She scrambled the rest of the way on her arm and knees.

"Magnum!" she said again as she made it to his side and immediately reached for him. She felt for his pulse, relieved to find it thudding strong against her fingers, before she reached to check his eyes. He groaned a second time, half-heartedly swatting at her hand.

"Magnum, I need you to open your eyes."

"Higgy…" he murmured a moment before he did as she asked. He winced and blinked rapidly.

She felt some tension leave her shoulders as relief flooded her at the sound of his voice. "Thank God," she breathed out. She met his gaze and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Little singed," he replied, frowning. He seemed to come to his senses faster than her and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Higgins guided his movement with a hand on the back of his shoulder. "What about you?" he asked. She watched as his eyes ran from top to bottom, visually assessing her.

Normally she would say she was fine, but she was quite sure she didn't look it in this case, so she settled for, "Also a little singed."

Magnum frowned, clearly not quite content with her answer. "There was a box," he said.

"Yes," Higgins replied. "I'm assuming left by one of your _many_ 'friends'."

He squinted at her. "Why does it have to be one of mine? It was at the front door of the main house, not the guest house. Maybe it was one of _your_ 'friends'."

Higgins considered that for a moment, but it didn't ring quite true. If any of her old enemies wanted her dead, they wouldn't waste time using an ill-timed bomb. They would make a very precise, very direct attempt on her.

However, when it came to Magnum… "Think, Magnum. What's the best way to hurt you?" she asked quietly.

Magnum frowned at the question, but after a moment, comprehension slipped across his face and he paled slightly. "Through my friends."

Higgins gave him a small, sympathetic smile and gently squeezed his shoulder with the hand she still had pressed against it in support. "Friendship with you comes at a price."

His face fell, guilt so clear in his eyes. "Too high a price."

She ducked just so to recapture his gaze and gently shook her head. "No," she disagreed, "it's worth it." And as she said the words, she was surprised that she actually meant it. Never in a million years would she have thought she would ever feel such a way when she'd first met the gate-hopping, dog-harassing man in the driveway, but now she couldn't imagine her life without him in it.

Magnum straightened up a bit and stared at her, something different in his eyes. The guilt still remained, but there was now also gratitude… and something else. Higgins couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, or maybe she just didn't want to put a name to it because it would complicate everything. Still, this time she didn't turn from it or pretend she didn't see. This time she held his gaze.

In the distance, the sound of sirens approached.

_End_

* * *

_Author's Note:_ Poor sad, guilty Magnum. Who would like to volunteer to huggle him?


End file.
